Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said lack of private investment and the inability of banks to support growth in India had hurt the economy. He blamed India’s low Gross Domestic Product growth in the first quarter of 2017-’18 to the decline in the manufacturing sector after the Goods and Service Tax regime was implemented.

However, he noted that the services sector had improved.

The Union minister made the statement at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national executive meet at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. As many as 13 chief ministers, six deputy chief ministers, 232 state ministers, 1,500 MLAs and 334 MPs were present at the meet, Jaitley said.

While addressing the party at the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the BJP had to take democracy “beyond elections”, and that elected representatives must adhere to public participation. He also stressed that the country comes first, and the party was secondary.

“If people do not participate, no drive can succeed,” Modi was quoted as saying by NDTV. “The fight will go on till corruption has been wiped out.”

Referring to the prime minister’s statements, Jaitley said Modi’s fight against corruption and black money was “uncompromised”. “I have no relatives [who will benefit from corruption],” Jaitley quoted Modi as saying. “Whoever is found to be corrupt will not be spared.”

Jaitley also took a swipe at the United Progressive Alliance and said eliminating black money and corruption from the country was never in the previous government’s agenda. “So it is obvious that our efforts to do so will not have the support of UPA leaders,” Jaitley said. “Those on the receiving end of our government’s anti-corruption stance are uneasy.”

The finance minister said the BJP was certain of victory in the 2019 General election. “And we are certain of building a New India by 2022.”